About Me

By day, I perform strategic marketing duties for MorphoTrak (a subsidiary of Morpho, a subsidiary of Safran). By night, I manage the Empoprises blogging empire, as well as various virtual properties in Starfleet Commander and other games. Formerly known as Ontario Emperor (Ontario California, not Ontario Canada). LCMS Lutheran. Former member of Radio Shack Battery Club. Motorola Yellow Badge recipient. Top 10% of LinkedIn users.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

I did not grow up in the Inland Empire, so I'm used to blowing things up during my childhood without government restriction.

When I moved to the Inland Empire in 1983, I was introduced to a whole new world - a desert land with great fire danger that necessitated restrictions on fireworks, even sparklers, in most Inland Empire communities.

With a couple of exceptions. Chino, of course, sells fireworks before July 4, and a number of community organizations perform their civic duty by selling things that you can use to blow yourself up.

Of course, Chino fireworks are only sold to Chino residents, and no one from any other city dares purchase them.

Frank Ellis of Apostolic Faith Tabernacle helped Citizens For a Safe Fourth of July submit more than 9,000 signatures to the city clerk's office on Sept. 8, with the hope of overturning the City Council's ban on the sale of "Safe and Sane" fireworks.

"The nonprofits will miss out on a major fundraiser of the year," Ellis said of the ban that took effect July 5.

But Ellis is not alone in opposing the ban.

The group is a partnership of area nonprofits and Fullerton-based TNT Fireworks.

Before the ban, Apostolic Faith Tabernacle raised a lot of money from fireworks sales.

He said his church made about $20,000 a year in fireworks sales. The money goes to outreaches such as a local women's shelter and a van that shuttles people to community events, in addition to funding church operations, he said.

Right now the city is checking the signatures, a process that is expected to take place until mid to late October.

I did not grow up in the Inland Empire, so I'm used to blowing things up during my childhood without government restriction.

When I moved to the Inland Empire in 1983, I was introduced to a whole new world - a desert land with great fire danger that necessitated restrictions on fireworks, even sparklers, in most Inland Empire communities.

With a couple of exceptions. Chino, of course, sells fireworks before July 4, and a number of community organizations perform their civic duty by selling things that you can use to blow yourself up.

Of course, Chino fireworks are only sold to Chino residents, and no one from any other city dares purchase them.

Frank Ellis of Apostolic Faith Tabernacle helped Citizens For a Safe Fourth of July submit more than 9,000 signatures to the city clerk's office on Sept. 8, with the hope of overturning the City Council's ban on the sale of "Safe and Sane" fireworks.

"The nonprofits will miss out on a major fundraiser of the year," Ellis said of the ban that took effect July 5.

But Ellis is not alone in opposing the ban.

The group is a partnership of area nonprofits and Fullerton-based TNT Fireworks.

Before the ban, Apostolic Faith Tabernacle raised a lot of money from fireworks sales.

He said his church made about $20,000 a year in fireworks sales. The money goes to outreaches such as a local women's shelter and a van that shuttles people to community events, in addition to funding church operations, he said.

Right now the city is checking the signatures, a process that is expected to take place until mid to late October.